


Technologically Challenged

by EloquentDossier



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Teachers, Awkward Flirting, Confused Reid, Cute, Experienced Teacher Hotch, Fluff and Humor, Helpful Hotch, Light Angst, M/M, New Teacher Reid, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-01
Updated: 2015-08-01
Packaged: 2018-04-12 00:44:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4458821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EloquentDossier/pseuds/EloquentDossier
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dr. Spencer Reid is the new AP Language teacher at Finn Bailey Institute, and he is absolutely terrible with nearly every piece of technology in his classroom, as well as the ridiculous online systems the school likes to use.</p><p>Dr. Aaron Hotchner is the <s>ridiculously handsome</s> AP US History teacher whose classroom is across the hall, and on the first day of school, he offers to help Spencer if the younger man ever needs anything.</p><p>And Spencer finds himself taking Aaron up on that offer far more often than he'd like to admit.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Technologically Challenged

**Author's Note:**

> I enjoy au's, if that's not obvious, and I was a little surprised when there weren't any teacher ones already out there. Ergo, this happened. 
> 
> Finn Bailey Institute is not real, and I literally only came up with it because it spells FBI, and Finn Bailey was the first name I remembered and thought worked well for the initials FB. //shrugs
> 
> The team is mentioned, but they are not expressly involved in this, hence the lack of character tags outside of Hotch and Reid. ~~sorry but given the premise, it didn't really work to have them~~ There's also a hint of Blake/Rossi indicated at the very end.
> 
> Anywho, I hope you enjoy!

Spencer Reid hated technology with a passion. He was barely capable of using email, and he felt like that should be enough. He didn't understand all the fancy systems the school had installed and required teachers to use when they really weren't _necessary_. Just during the workshop in which the new teachers had to learn about the systems, Spencer had been forced to ask for assistance multiple times from the people sitting beside him. He could only imagine how often he would be stealing a colleague from his or her classroom throughout the first few months, and he wasn't looking forward to it.

On the first day of school, a gentle rap sounded at the door to his room, and Spencer glanced up from his lesson plans for the day—and _stared_. The man at the door was hands-down one of the most attractive men Spencer had ever seen. He was tall and broad-shouldered, and his relaxed posture as he leaned against the doorframe practically screamed confidence. His hair was relatively short and dark, with random strands defiantly sticking out instead of curving to the side like the rest. A smile played at his lips, which only managed to make the man even more handsome.

And then the other man's expression changed, one eyebrow quirking, and that was when Spencer actually _realized_ he was staring. Heat crept up his neck and stole into his face as he cleared his throat and stood, wincing as he banged his knee against the sliding drawer that held the keyboard. "Um, hi," he squeaked, quickly moving around the desk and walking toward the dark-haired man.

"Good morning. I'm Aaron Hotchner, and I teach AP US History right across the hall. You can call me Aaron," the man introduced himself, nodding his head in the direction of the hallway as he held out his hand.

Spencer swallowed nervously, barely able to manage a shaky smile. "Spencer. Spencer Reid. I'm the new AP Language teacher," he replied, somehow not stumbling over his words. "And I don't really, uh, shake hands." At that statement, both of Aaron's brows went up in surprise as his hand returned to his pants pocket, and Spencer felt the need to explain, "The number of pathogens passed during a handshake is staggering.  It's actually safer to kiss." The moment the words were out of his mouth, he winced. "Not that I go around kissing strangers, either, of course," he hastened to add.

Aaron's chuckle was expected, but it was warm and soft instead of cruel. "Nervous about your first day as a new teacher?" the dark-haired man questioned gently.

Spencer nodded, ducking his head and smiling shyly. "Is it that obvious?" he asked, glancing up at Aaron from beneath his lashes.

The history teacher's expression shifted slightly, but his smile remained. "Only to someone who's been in that situation before. I'm sure you'll do fine, but if you ever need anything, feel free to dart across the hall and ask."

"You might regret that offer later," Spencer murmured sheepishly. "But thank you. I definitely appreciate it."

Aaron nodded, not really acknowledging Spencer's thanks; in fact, he seemed almost bashful about it, which was at odds with his earlier confidence. "We should have the same lunch block, so I'll see you then if not before. Good luck on your first day, Spencer." The dark-haired man pushed off the doorframe and was across the hall before Spencer could form a response.

* * *

On Spencer's third day of teaching at Finn Bailey Institute, he ran into a problem with the projector. He'd been given a remote to use, and while it _did_ turn on the projector, the projector wasn't picking up a signal—whatever  _that_ meant. He pressed a few buttons, mentally cursing himself for not asking for more in-depth explanations at the workshop, but they didn't help; if anything, he was fairly certain he managed to make more problems for himself. Whispers started, and he cleared his throat to keep his voice from cracking as he stated, "Sorry. Just give me a moment." He then set the remote down and headed out the door, leaving it ajar as he took the few steps necessary to stop outside Aaron's classroom. He knocked on the door, and several seconds later, it opened to reveal the history teacher. "Uh, I'm sorry to interrupt, but the projector said something about 'no signal,' and I pressed some buttons that I'm ninety-four percent positive made it worse."

Aaron's lips twitched, and he coughed slightly to cover a laugh. Turning back to his class, he ordered, "Compare answers from your summer packets while I help Dr. Reid." He then faced Spencer once more and stepped out into the hallway after Spencer stumbled back. "So you're ninety-four percent positive?" Aaron queried, the skin around his brown eyes crinkling as he smirked.

The expression was absolutely  _boyish_ , and Spencer felt his heart thump against his ribs at the same time that his breath caught in his throat. Swallowing thickly, he shrugged and ducked his head to hide what was sure to be a blush before he hurried into the safety of his mostly-dark classroom. His students quieted at Aaron's entrance, and Spencer grabbed the remote for the projector and held it out for Aaron to take.  

The dark-haired man took the remote and glanced at the projector screen before pressing the power button twice to turn the projector off. "We'll have to wait a few minutes before we can turn it back on," Aaron explained as he sat on the table (that Spencer didn't entirely understand the reasoning for) at the front of the room.

With a quick jerk of his head, Spencer shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his feet. "Now is probably the time I should warn you how awful I am with technology," he murmured, managing a small quirk of his lips.

"Surprisingly, I gathered that when I saw you had managed to find a setting I've never seen before." Aaron flashed a friendly smile that took the bite out of his words. "I'm actually not entirely certain turning it off and back on will work, but it's always worth a shot. Garcia doesn't appreciate it when we call her and haven't at least tried that much."

Spencer furrowed his brows. "Garcia?"

"Blonde-haired, brown-eyed, five-seven, pushes the teacher's dress code with her vibrant clothes and accessories," Aaron detailed, and Spencer immediately remembered the woman who had been in charge of the workshop—and recalled exactly what she'd said about restarting any technology in the classrooms and seeing if that fixed the problem before asking her to waste her time doing it for them.

"She runs the workshops?" Spencer confirmed, and Aaron nodded. "She is definitely the exact opposite of me when it comes to technology. I'm doing well just to check my email."

The history teacher chuckled, shrugging one shoulder. "I can't do anything major, but I'm relatively decent with it. You'll get the hang of it at some point. Everyone does," he replied sincerely, holding Spencer's gaze for just a half-second too long before his brown eyes darted down to the remote he held, and he powered the projector back on. Spencer breathed a sigh of relief as the "No Signal" screen flashed on, and then he was inhaling sharply, hazel eyes snapping to Aaron as the older man stepped close to him. "You shouldn't have to worry about it again, but should this screen appear for some reason, there's a 'Source' button on the remote." It was far too difficult to concentrate on the words coming from Aaron's mouth, and because of that, it took Spencer a moment to understand that Aaron was pointing to said button. He nodded to show he followed, and Aaron continued, "Press it once, and wait to see if the screen changes. If it doesn't, press it again."

Spencer was shocked when Aaron pressed the remote into his hands and gestured for him to do it. He held his breath as he pressed the button, and when the screen changed to show the Word document he'd pulled up on the computer, he beamed up at the older man. "It worked!" There were several muffled laughs from his students, but Spencer ignored them. "Thank you."

"Anytime," Aaron answered, smiling fondly. "But now I need to get back to my class." With a wave of farewell, Aaron walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

(And Spencer  _might_ have smiled stupidly for a couple of seconds before remembering his students were watching.)

* * *

Those sorts of encounters happened far too often over the following months.

_"I can't get the sound to work."_

_"So, I might have jammed the copier, and JJ and Morgan both tried to help, but we're pretty sure we broke something in the process, and I still need ten more copies."_

_"My keyboard isn't typing."_

_"I don't know how to input grades on the new upgrade to the grading system, and Alex said if I don't get it done today, she's going to deprive me of coffee for a week."_

_"Is the projector only set up to the computer? Because I can't get the DVD Player to work... What do you mean, 'use the computer'?"_

_"The cursor isn't moving when I move the mouse, and I already restarted the computer, but Garcia said if I called her again this week, she won't go to the convention with me this weekend. Please don't laugh. I spent **weeks** making the Fourth Doctor's scarf, Aaron."_

_"I think I actually broke the projector for real this time. It won't even turn on."_

_"I tried to replace the ink in my printer, but I still haven't gotten the cartridge out, and all I've managed to do is turn my hands black, and the last time I did this, Rossi got angry with me because I got black ink everywhere. ...no, I knocked with my foot."_

Each time, Aaron was more amused than frustrated, and each time, the dark-haired man either stood closer than was necessary or "accidentally" touched him or watched him more than was socially acceptable. (According to Emily and JJ, during lunch he also ensured one of the seats next to him was available for Spencer, but the younger man was pretty sure that it was actually all the others who made certain of  _that_.) But no matter where they were, Aaron definitely did the other three things, and it made Spencer confused and nervous in a good way.

Then one day Spencer finally knocked on Aaron's door for a non-technological-crisis, and he became confused and nervous in a bad way.

* * *

Another bout of raucous laughter came from across the hall, and Spencer finally stood from his desk and stalked out of the room. He heard his students getting up even though they were supposed to be writing their timed essays, but given how loud Aaron's class was currently being, it wasn't like they were able to concentrate very well. Spencer rapped his knuckles sharply against the door, and for the first time, a student opened it instead of the history teacher. Spencer didn't even notice the girl's smile drop as he pushed the door open further.

His words got stuck in his throat, however, as he saw the pretty brunette woman who was grinning up at Aaron, one hand lingering on the older man's arm, while said man was smiling brightly down at her. His stomach twisted unpleasantly, and his heart stuttered painfully because Spencer had  _never_ seen Aaron smile like that, and oh, did  _that_ feel like a bucket of ice water bringing him out of his ridiculous fantasy. _  
_

"Dr. Hotchner." His words were harsher than he intended, and if the class hadn't started to get quiet before, it definitely got that way quickly. Aaron's gaze jerked from the brunette woman over to him, and he tried to ignore the way his stomach twisted even more as the older man's expression transformed into surprised confusion. "I'm sorry for the interruption, but could you and your guest please maintain control over your students? I must have forgotten to remind you that my classes are practicing for the timed essay portion of the AP Exam,"—except he  _hadn't_ —"so I will accept partial blame, but I would be extremely surprised if you didn't disrupt others with the noise level." He didn't even take a step inside the room, and he smiled flatly before turning on his heel and walking back into his classroom.

It was abnormally quiet as Spencer shut the door and headed to his desk, and he pretended he couldn't see all the sad looks his students kept darting at him.

* * *

Things changed after that. Spencer initially tried to act like it was all normal, but things were obviously different, and after three weeks of attempting to "deal with it," he finally caved to the parts of him yelling for him to avoid Aaron when possible. He started going down the hall and asking either Alex or Emily for help, or he risked the wrath of Garcia, who—once she found out why he was calling a little more frequently—ended up making him cookies and told him to call her whenever he needed help and didn't want to bother Emily or Alex.

Eventually Spencer started eating lunch in his classroom because not only did he not want to sit beside Aaron, but he also couldn't stand his colleagues giving him concerned and almost-pitying looks. It was humiliating and irritating because apparently _everyone_ knew if one person knew, and he was definitely aware that his and Aaron's falling out was still the prime gossip.

It was near the end of the school year, after his students had taken their AP Exams, that Spencer finally heard a knock on _his_ door.

But not the door of his classroom.

* * *

He was in the midst of an episode of Doctor Who when a loud knock reverberated through his living room.  With a frown, he paused the episode and walked to the door of his apartment, cradling his bowl of Turtle Tracks ice cream to his chest. He didn't even think to look through the peephole since there weren't many people it could be, so when he opened the door, he nearly dropped the bowl in surprise. He managed to catch it before staring at the dark-haired man standing in the hallway. Shifting nervously (because  _of course_ he was wearing his Doctor Who pajamas) Spencer licked his lips before stammering, "I—um, what—you're at my—how do you know where I live?"

Aaron smiled wryly, pushing a hand through his hair. "The teachers' directory has everyone's numbers and addresses in case of an emergency," the older man answered. "I would have called first, but I didn't think you would answer."

Spencer bit back his automatic response of, "Probably not," and instead asked, "Why are you here?"

"I wanted to speak with you," Aaron replied.

The younger man knew if he declined and shut the door that the history teacher would leave without question, which was the only reason he took a step back and murmured, "Come in." He didn't move from the entryway, however, after he closed the door behind Aaron. "All right, speak," he ordered in a clipped tone.

Aaron winced and glanced away from him before his brown eyes drifted back. "You've been acting odd lately."

Spencer tensed, clenching his jaw angrily and setting the bowl of ice cream down onto the hallway table with a remotely satisfying clatter—mainly because the sound made Aaron jump. " _That's_ your opening line? I've been avoiding you for sixty-six days, Aaron, and all you can think to say is that I've been acting  _odd lately_?" he snapped. "Let's give the man a medal!" The hurt that flashed across Aaron's face caused Spencer's heart to lurch unpleasantly, and he rubbed his hands down his face before asking quietly, "Why did you treat me the way you did if you already had a girlfriend?"

It was silent for a moment before Aaron cleared his throat. "Excuse me?"

"I may not be experienced with flirting, but it was extremely clear that you treated me differently than everyone else. So what I want to know," Spencer paused and made sure he caught Aaron's gaze before continuing slowly, "is why you were flirting with me when you already had a girlfriend."

Confusion furrowed the older man's brows as he retorted, "But I didn't have a girlfriend."

"I  _saw_ you with her, Aaron! She was at school the day your class was being so loud, and I had to ask you to keep them quiet!" Spencer yelled. "And if that wasn't enough, I saw you two around town with your son!"

Understanding dawned on Aaron's face, and then the dark-haired man laughed, which caused Spencer to flinch. Aaron stopped abruptly and drew close to him, and Spencer stopped breathing when warm hands cradled his jaw. "Spencer, she's my brother's fiancée. They've been together for years. She's basically the little sister I never had."

Spencer had to turn the words over in his mind several times before the shock wore off, and it all clicked into place. "So... you didn't have a girlfriend."

"No," Aaron answered, shaking his head. **  
**

"And, judging by our current positions, you  _were_ flirting with me?" Spencer queried, attempting to keep the hopeful note out of his voice.

Aaron smiled warmly, his eyes darting to Spencer's lips before looking back up again. "Yes, I was."

Spencer nodded as well as he could with how his face was still framed by Aaron's hands. "I always thought I was awkward, but I think you're worse." The scowl that formed on the older man's lips made Spencer grin. "Aaron, you consistently invaded my personal space and stared at me. That's typically considered creepy by most people. I at least encouraged it by coming to ask you for help so often,  _and_ I actually allowed all the non-accidental touches you were so fond of initiating."

The history teacher hummed, gently pressing their foreheads together. "You always had this adorable blush when I did it," he admitted. "But I could never quite tell if you were simply being polite or not. There  _is_ also the issue of the rather large age gap between us."

With a soft chuckle, the younger man gently nudged their noses together. "We are both legal adults, which is good enough for me," Spencer breathed.

Aaron's eyes darkened as he murmured, "I was hoping you'd say that," and then Spencer felt soft lips pressed sweetly against his own. It was fairly chaste, but he still ended up making a soft noise in his throat and fisting his hands in Aaron's shirt. The older man smiled against his mouth before gently sucking on his lower lip and wringing a sharp gasp from him. He moaned quietly as Aaron's tongue swiped past his lips, and a moment later Aaron's hands were tangling in his hair while he was whimpering at the gentle tugs on his scalp.

And that was when Spencer's knees unceremoniously gave out on him, and Aaron was caught off-guard and unable to steady them as Spencer fell into him, sending them both to the floor to land in a laughing heap. Aaron was able to stand first, and he easily pulled Spencer from the floor. "Do you want to stay for a little while?" the younger man blurted, blushing as Aaron smirked. "Not for that," he squeaked, his gaze skittering away from the other man. "I just thought that since Jack's not with you tonight, you might want some company."

"How did you know I didn't have Jack this evening?" Aaron sounded genuinely curious.

"Well, you don't have him with you," Spencer pointed out the obvious, looking back at Aaron. "I know you didn't leave him in the car, and you definitely wouldn't have left him alone at home."

Aaron shook his head with a smile before twining their fingers together, and Spencer felt his stomach flip. "You're right. He's at his mother's this evening," the dark-haired man finally answered. He grabbed Spencer's bowl of ice cream before gently tugging him along and leading him through his own apartment. When they managed to get settled comfortably on the couch—with Spencer partially leaned back against Hotch's chest—and managed to start Doctor Who again, Aaron murmured, "By the way, I'm not sure if you're aware, but our students have been placing bets on when we would get our act together."

Spencer was in mid-bite of his ice cream, and he furrowed his brows and looked up at Aaron as he swallowed. "Are you saying our students ship us?"

Both of Aaron's brows shot up as he repeated, "'Ship us'?" The younger man laughed before proceeding to explain, and by the end of his long-winded elucidation, Aaron was smiling. "Yes, I suppose I am saying that." Spencer's breath caught in his throat at the warm look in Aaron's eyes, and he had to duck his head to hide his blush.

"So, how long do you think we can throw off everyone at work?" he inquired. "Alex wins the teachers' betting pool if we make it to the last day of this school year."

Aaron laughed softly. "So does Dave. I guess we'll just have to see if we can help them win it." Spencer grinned up at Aaron in thanks before leaning further into him, letting his head fall back to rest against the older man's shoulder.

* * *

Three weeks later, Spencer was chopping tomatoes when he heard Aaron come into the kitchen. He smiled as he felt arms slip around his waist, and he hummed softly as lips pressed a kiss to the back of his neck. "Dave wanted me to tell you thank you for helping him win. He looked like he knew we were together before today, however."

"Alex wanted me to do the same, except she explicitly stated she knew something had happened between us three weeks ago. Since she didn't have any concrete evidence, however, she's willing to accept her winnings," he replied. Aaron was oddly quiet, so Spencer gently prompted him. "What's on your mind?"

"Have you ever wondered about those two?" Aaron queried, resting his chin on the younger man's shoulder. "Alex and Dave have been teaching at this school longer than any of the others. They have inside jokes the rest of us don't understand, and they can communicate with a single look across the room from each other."

Spencer nodded his agreement as he broke the bulb of garlic and started pulling out the cloves. "They also flirt with each other constantly. Have you heard them try to out-sass each other before? It's extremely telling. I don't think they realize it for what it is, though."

"Understandably. Dave has had three divorces, and Alex has only been divorced for two years. But even before she and James separated, they were flirting like that," Aaron murmured. "Maybe we should give them a nudge."

A laugh escaped him before he could stop it. "Aaron, I think we're the last people who should be playing matchmaker, considering the way we wound up together."

"Mm, but we still managed it before they did," the dark-haired man pointed out, and Spencer had to concede to that. "Think about it, and get back to me. We can enlist the help of the others, as well."

Spencer shook his head as he set the knife down and turned in Aaron's arms so that he could pull the other man into a slow, soft kiss. "Fine," he sighed as he pulled away. "We'll start planning over the summer. Now will you stop distracting me and help me with the salsa?" Aaron grinned and kissed him once more before nodding, and Spencer wondered—not for the first time—just what he'd ever done to somehow deserve Aaron Hotchner.


End file.
